Sunday, July 3, 2011

2010 Ford Mustang preview

Last month we introduced you to our '06 Mustang as part of a group of fresh project cars we are going to tinker with for your entertainment. This low-mileage GT doesn't really have any problems, so from here on out, all the work we do will be for performance and looks.
2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Ford Mustang

This is the before shot. We've...      read full captionThis is the before shot. We've installed the wheels and tires from a '10 GT500 but haven't added the suspension. Note the clearance between fender and tire.The first step is to get the stance right. That means lowering the car. In the past you had to cut the springs, heat them (don't), or find an aftermarket company that has done the R&D to make the springs fit the car. The first two options will change both the ride height and spring rate, wrecking all the factory engineered handling goodness and in some cases making the coils bind and spiking the rate infinitely, causing you to Rob Kinnan* into a guardrail. Buying the suspension parts from Ford assures that the guys who designed the car also had a hand in the design of the upgrades. Can't get better than that. The downside is that Ford only makes two kits for the coupe and one kit for the convertible, meaning you get what is offered, and no more. Although the front sway bar on this kit is adjustable, the dampers are not. Ford also only offers one spring rate, which means you really can't add or subtract rates to tune for a specific type of competition.